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- All Subjects: Creative Project
- All Subjects: Evolution
- Creators: School of Molecular Sciences
DescriptionThis project is designed to generate enthusiasm for science among refugee students in hopes of inspiring them to continue learning science as well as to help them with their current understanding of their school science subject matter.
ContributorsSipes, Shannon Paige (Author) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Thesis director) / Gregg, George (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Students Organize for Syria (SOS) is the student led initiative for Syria. With 18 registered chapters across the United States, this student organization is targeting a multidimensional cause by different means. Though it is now a national movement, it started off with one group at Arizona State University, with one student. Zana Alattar, founder and student director of SOS, tells the story of how she took an ASU organization, Save Our Syrian Freedom (SOS Freedom), to the national level as SOS. As a pre-medical student, she also combines her work in human rights with her future in healthcare. After all, health and human rights have long maintained a synergistic relationship.
ContributorsAlattar, Zana (Author) / Graff, Sarah (Thesis director) / McClurg, Sharolyn (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This project was generated out of a desire to understand and explore a novel twist on a well-traversed route to happiness. I set out looking for a new perspective on fulfillment and found sustainable, everyday joy through gratitude. In doing so, I created a space where a group of people could practice and share gratitude as a community. Gratitude is familiar to most as a feeling, but putting intention behind gratitude turns it into an action, and even a virtue. In fact, Roman philosopher Cicero says, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." I created a Facebook community called Marvel at The Ordinary (MATO) applying principles rooted in the Theory of Change to express this greatest virtue. I found both success and earnest support from others in this novel approach to current gratitude practices. Defined by Dr. Robert Emmons, an expert in the science of gratitude, practicing gratitude is a two-step process: "(1.) affirming goodness in one's life, and (2.) recognizing that the sources of this goodness lie at least partially outside of the self." There is substantial research touting the worth of gratitude journaling, in fact, few things have been more repeatedly and empirically vetted than the connection between gratitude and overall happiness and well-being. Yet there is one facet ubiquitously overlooked in current gratitude research: what happens when gratitude journaling is shared with others? With anecdotal evidence, short-form interview analysis, thematic analysis of journaling lexicon, and a case study on the growth and engagement of Marvel at The Ordinary as a social movement, there is reason to believe that a social media-based community centered around gratitude may support and even enhance the practice of gratitude, which is typically practiced in isolation. It was also found that communities of this sort are highly sought after, based on the engagement within and growth of the Facebook group from 50 to 600+ members in a period of 2 months. MATO set out with the aspirations of creating a community which encourages others to gratitude journal, raising awareness about gratitude journaling, and building a community which fosters empathy, optimism, and awareness in an everyday sense. In each of these goals, overwhelming success was found.
ContributorsMccawley, Kevin William (Author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Huerta, Mark (Committee member) / Micevic, Vid (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Cancer is a disease that occurs in many and perhaps all multicellular organisms. Current research is looking at how different life history characteristics among species could influence cancer rates. Because somatic maintenance is an important component of a species' life history, we hypothesize the same ecological forces shaping the life history of a species should also determine its cancer susceptibility. By looking at varying life histories, potential evolutionary trends could be used to explain differing cancer rates. Life history theory could be an important framework for understanding cancer vulnerabilities with different trade-offs between life history traits and cancer defenses. Birds have diverse life history strategies that could explain differences in cancer suppression. Peto's paradox is the observation that cancer rates do not typically increase with body size and longevity despite an increased number of cell divisions over the animal's lifetime that ought to be carcinogenic. Here we show how Peto’s paradox is negatively correlated for cancer within the clade, Aves. That is, larger, long-lived birds get more cancer than smaller, short-lived birds (p=0.0001; r2= 0.024). Sexual dimorphism in both plumage color and size differ among Aves species. We hypothesized that this could lead to a difference in cancer rates due to the amount of time and energy sexual dimorphism takes away from somatic maintenance. We tested for an association between a variety of life history traits and cancer, including reproductive potential, growth rate, incubation, mating systems, and sexual dimorphism in both color and size. We found male birds get less cancer than female birds (9.8% vs. 11.1%, p=0.0058).
ContributorsDolan, Jordyn Nicole (Author) / Maley, Carlo (Thesis director) / Harris, Valerie (Committee member) / Boddy, Amy (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Dante's Divine Comedy has been around for eight centuries, and its imaginative vision of the afterlife truly resembled the ideology of 13th century. However, time has passed, and now, in 21st century, the societies have made major technological advancements that distinct themselves from the past. Consequently, with recent technology in mind, one could imagine an afterlife with robotic Minos and Cerberus, and possibly the circles of hell residing within an earth resembling death star that is controlled automatically using artificial intelligence. The symbolic representation of punishments could have been altered throughout time, and more recent criminals may be seen in the circles of hell. By identifying and correlating contemporary style of art with a classic literature such as Dante's Divine Comedy, one could better understand the essence of literature without the disconnect from current world, and appreciate the deep underlying ideology that Dante offers within his literature. Sculptures that encompass nine circles of hell and heaven would demonstrate structural aptitude and symbolic representation of what Dante would have imagined if he were to write his literature in the 21st century. Throughout the project, connection between the literature and the sculptures is observed. Some of the sculptures were meant to be abstract and some literal. Even though the medium used in each of the sculptures were different, the correlation between each sculpture unifies everything together into one theme, Dante's Divine Comedy.
ContributorsKim, David (Author) / Neubauer, Mary (Thesis director) / Harp, Hilary (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Within our current educational infrastructure, there’s a lack of substantial preventive care knowledge present among elementary schoolchildren. With education cuts occurring statewide, many schools are left impoverished and schools are incapable of implementing various programs to benefit their local communities. This endeavor aims to visit public and charter elementary schools in the Phoenix Valley to educate youth regarding easily avoidable health risks by implementing healthy eating habits and exercise. Project BandAid will immerse students ages 7-9 in hands-on activities to enhance their knowledge on hygiene, healthy eating habits, and safety. This project incorporated funding from the Woodside Community Action Grant and Barrett, the Honors College as well as the help from Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED) volunteers.
ContributorsCovarrubias, Sidney Alicia (Co-author) / Kothari, Karishma (Co-author) / John, Benson (Co-author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / Holechek, Susan (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School for the Future of Innovation in Society (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Cultural Perceptions of Leisure and Well-being in Rock Climbing Communities of Peru and Arizona, USA
Description
In December of 2015, I made my way to rural Peru for a few weeks, my first visit to South America. While I was there, I observed a devotion to family and leisure activity, topics that were not heavily prioritized in my experience in Arizona. Upon my return, I became more involved in leisure activities, particularly running, hiking, yoga, and climbing. These involvements noticeably benefitted my health and well-being. The way the Peruvians I met prioritized these subjects fascinated me, and I wanted to study this difference between Arizona and Peru. In July of 2017, I returned to Peru for a semester abroad with my bags packed and the following research questions: 1) Are differences in motivation for rock climbing between Arizona and Peruvian climbers associated with cultural values? 2) Do leisure activities and the amount of time spent on them have an effect on quality of life? 3) Does the degree of climbing specialization impact perceptions of well-being? 4) What characteristics impact perceptions of quality of life among climbers? Are these characteristics affected by country of origin? My prediction was that Peruvians had higher quality of life due to their emphasis on leisure. Through this study, I learned that this conclusion was not as simple as I anticipated.
ContributorsMatta, Samantha Tania (Author) / Hultsman, Wendy (Thesis director) / Sampson, David (Committee member) / Lee, Rebecca (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The tarot is a means of communication with the world. It allows readers to interpret signs from their surroundings, gather information, and use this information to make inferences about a posed question. Its origins can be found in mid-15th century Europe as playing cards with four suits commonly used for gambling. Several hundred years later during the 18th century, it began to be used as a tool for divination; the Major Arcana, a set of 22 trump cards representing various archetypes, evolved as a supplement to a new tarot that has become associated with mysticism. The tarot’s foundation is based on archetypes that build society. It can serve as a visual lens to understand the experiences, thoughts, and actions of a person posing a question, allowing the reader to offer a solution by understanding and interpreting the specific visual language of a deck.
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world and one of the most practiced today. It is full of fantastical myths and heroic legends, as well as undercurrents of feminism contrasted with misogyny and patriarchy. Hindu myths are contradictory as stories have evolved over time and have been retold with millions of differing perspectives.
In my thesis, I portrayed the 22 archetypes of the Major Arcana of the tarot through the lens of Hindu mythology as well as the broader pan-Indian culture. I include ancient stories and references to modern social issues. I visually communicated the connections between characters of Hindu mythology and the archetypes of the tarot with 22 watercolor paintings. This project was an opportunity to explore both the tarot through Hinduism, vice-versa. It allowed for the development of a deeper connection with spirituality and religion, along with a greater understanding of visual communication.
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world and one of the most practiced today. It is full of fantastical myths and heroic legends, as well as undercurrents of feminism contrasted with misogyny and patriarchy. Hindu myths are contradictory as stories have evolved over time and have been retold with millions of differing perspectives.
In my thesis, I portrayed the 22 archetypes of the Major Arcana of the tarot through the lens of Hindu mythology as well as the broader pan-Indian culture. I include ancient stories and references to modern social issues. I visually communicated the connections between characters of Hindu mythology and the archetypes of the tarot with 22 watercolor paintings. This project was an opportunity to explore both the tarot through Hinduism, vice-versa. It allowed for the development of a deeper connection with spirituality and religion, along with a greater understanding of visual communication.
ContributorsHarve, Prathima (Author) / Jenik, Adriene (Thesis director) / Codell, Julie (Committee member) / Zirbel, Lisa (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
While specific resistance mechanisms to targeted inhibitors in BRAF-mutant cutaneous melanoma have been identified, surprisingly little is known about the rate at which resistance develops under different treatment options. There is increasing evidence that resistance arises from pre-existing clones rather than from de novo mutations, but there remains the need for a better understanding of how different drugs affect the fitness of clones within a tumor population and promote or delay the emergence of resistance. To this end, we have developed an assay that defines the in vitro rate of adaptation by analyzing the progressive change in sensitivity of a melanoma cell line to different treatments. We performed a proof-of-theory experiment based on the hypothesis that drugs that cause cell death (cytotoxic) impose a higher selection pressure for drug-resistant clones than drugs that cause cell-cycle arrest (cytostatic drugs), thereby resulting in a faster rate of adaptation. We tested this hypothesis by continuously treating the BRAFV600E melanoma cell line A375 with the cytotoxic MEK inhibitor E6201 and the cytostatic MEK inhibitor trametinib, both of which are known to be effective in the setting of constitutive oncogenic signaling driven by the BRAF mutation. While the identification of confounding factors prevented the direct comparison between E6201-treated and trametinib-treated cells, we observed that E6201-treated cells demonstrate decreased drug sensitivity compared to vehicle-treated cells as early as 18 days after treatment begins. We were able to quantify this rate of divergence at 2.6% per passage by measuring the increase over time in average viability difference between drug-treated and vehicle-treated cells within a DDR analysis. We argue that this value correlates to the rate of adaptation. Furthermore, this study includes efforts to establish a barcoded cell line to allow for individual clonal tracking and efforts to identify synergistic and antagonist drug combinations for use in future experiments. Ultimately, we describe here a novel system capable of quantifying adaptation rate in cancer cells undergoing treatment, and we anticipate that this assay will prove helpful in identifying treatment options that circumvent or delay resistance through future hypothesis-driven experiments.
ContributorsDe Luca, Valerie Jean (Author) / Wilson Sayres, Melissa (Thesis director) / Trent, Jeff (Committee member) / Hendricks, William (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
DescriptionThis creative project provides documentation and an exploration of my interactions with individuals encountered while hitchhiking up the west coast.
ContributorsGerber, Evan Howard (Author) / Kashiwagi, Dean (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05